Our invention is a connector by which an electrical cable is attached to the terminal post of a vehicle battery. For the US Army, which maintains thousands of vehicles, such connectors need to attach and detach from a terminal post as quickly and easily as possible. Although efficient connectors save only a small amount of time for each battery change, the aggregate savings they achieve for the Army's fleet is appreciable. The connectors must also have a secure mechanical attachment to the terminal post so that engine vibration and vehicle bounce do not loosen the connector from the terminal post.
Our connector firmly attaches to a terminal post by means of a metal band whose flexible loop cinches about the post. The band has a flat section integral with the loop, the flat section being stiffer than the loop. Affixed to the flat section is an element for swingably mounting a flexible arm to the ban. A lever is connected between the outer, or swung, end of the arm and the loop. The arm, lever and loop cooperate to form a mechanically bistable structure which switches the connector between a post locking configuration and a post releasing configuration.